Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
In all honesty a pan drop and manual cleaning is still the best way. You gotta love the way these engines are installed, build the car around the engine and make servicing it someone else's problem.
Heater cores are like that on many vehicles, no?
Is annoying, I remember this sort of design. I suspect it's nature of the beast: on a frame setup, you need something going across to keep the frame from racking. And with a long traverse engine&transmission combo, might as well put the crossmember where it can be used for engine/trans mounts. Could the crossmember be bolted in? Transmission crossmembers usually are. But I wonder if it's a strength issue, remove the crossmember and maybe the frame twists too much. Or maybe no one thought to do that, plus, it'd cost money, and the OEM's are all about saving you pennies at purchase time.
The crossmember in question is VERY welded to the frame, and has the engine bolted to it.
I own two of these cars (1992 Caprice and Buick Roadmaster). Trust me. That pan is not coming off with the engine still attached to the car.
Molakule wrote about a very interesting test he did with LC20 in an engine. Apparently, it's quite good at softening and dissolving carbon sludge. That would be my choice. LC20 used at the "treatment" strength.